Psalm 18:21-30
New Catholic Bible
21 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;[a]
because my hands were pure, he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord[b]
and refused to turn away from my God.
23 His laws are clearly known to me,
and I have not failed to observe his decrees.
24 I was blameless in his sight,
and I kept myself free of sin.
25 Therefore, the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
because of the cleanness of my hands in his eyes.
26 To the loyal, you show yourself to be loyal;
to the blameless, you show yourself to be blameless;
27 to the pure, you show yourself to be pure;
but to the perverse,[c] you show yourself to be shrewd.
28 For you save the humble,
but you bring down the haughty.
29 You, O Lord, are light for my lamp;[d]
O my God, you make my darkness turn to light.
30 With your help I can storm a rampart;
with my God to aid me, I can scale any wall.
Footnotes
- Psalm 18:21 Righteousness: see note on Ps 1:5.
- Psalm 18:22 Ways of the Lord: see note on Ps 25:10.
- Psalm 18:27 God treats people the way they treat him and others. The perverse: those who stray from the straight way of the Lord. Show yourself to be shrewd: the Lord counters the evil acts of the wicked, one after the other.
- Psalm 18:29 Light for my lamp: a figure of life and happiness (see 1 Ki 11:36). Light: see note on Ps 27:1.
